


and his wrath shall purge the wicked

by gaily-daily (passionateartist)



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, If you squinted hard enough, POV Second Person, could be shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 19:22:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17751974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/passionateartist/pseuds/gaily-daily
Summary: It’s your first time in the Joker gang. And you were not prepared for this.





	and his wrath shall purge the wicked

He’s coming!” Joker whispers in short, shaky breaths. It is not directed at you. He is looking up at the ceiling wearing an expression of expectation. He trembles with wild, vibrating awe.

 

The Batman is coming. You steady the rising panic in your chest. 

 

He is coming.

 

A dark shape crashes through the skylight without any warning. Glass shatters everywhere and you yell as you and several other men take cover. You can hear shouting from the other members, the painful cries as glass cuts through uncovered arms. You are lucky. He weren't stationed directly under the skylight.

 

Through the chaos and the chorus, Joker is laughing. He is always laughing.

 

Batman hits the floor with a loud and heavy thump. His build is extremely fit, he towers over you all like a dark god. You do not need to glance over at the Joker to know he is thinking this too.

 

You fumble with your gun. You’ve never seen Batman face to face. You remind yourself he is just a man. Over and over. The words repeat silent on your tongue. This is a man.

 

But something thick and heavy is rolling over Batman in dark waves. It fills up the room as it reaches for the furthest corners of the walls.  You shiver, feeling it crawl up your spine. You feel like the mouse.

 

The Dark Knight turns his head and looks at you. Right at you. Down into your soul and suddenly you know exactly what it is thickening the air and closing in on your lungs.

 

It is Rage. Stronger than your father when he came at you. Stronger than when you had fought back for the first and only time. Stronger than when you had unfairly gone to jail. Punished for only trying to defend yourself. You have been angry all your life. But you have never felt fury like this.

 

_ This is a man. _

 

Batman flies when he moves, disabling three men at his right with one leap. You hear shouts of pain and then nothing at all. Batman moves again and you hear more shouts abruptly cut off.

 

You are afraid. You are afraid of this black entity that shifts through the shadows and sucks the air right out of  your lungs. You are afraid to move. 

 

Several shots come from beside you and you turn to see the Joker waving his gun with wild abandon. He shoots without aim, without purpose. Batman jumps and ducks behind some crates.

 

You think you should try shooting too. But the gun in your hand shakes too much. You know you will miss. You  _ know  _ it. This knowledge becomes a part of you and sinks beneath your thoughts. Your fingers that had been so steady before start to tremble. There's a quake in your boots. A tremble down your spine. You breathe in and taste fear. 

 

You can hear the Batman moving. Taking out more men as he goes. His boots are hard against the concrete. Pounding with each massive step. Such commanding footsteps cannot belong to a mere mortal. Your mind refuses to believe it.

 

You watch as Batman twists back the arm of Joe, your friend. He had gotten you this job. You accepted the gesture only after your fourth failed interview.

He screams in agony as his bones crack. Batman leaves him on the floor in a bloody mess. This is his Mercy. Those who break the law deserve to be broken. 

 

He barrels through all of them, like each of you are nothing. And you start to feel helpless the more you watch. And the more you watch the more you are certain that you  _ are _ nothing. Gods and deities, angels and demons. In this world you are an ant. 

 

How did you think this was a good idea? How did you ever think this was a good idea? You look at the Joker who has done this a thousand times. And suddenly it makes sense that none of Batman's enemies are sane. For only an insane person would want to face Wrath such as this on a weekly basis.

 

You hear the beginnings of frustration tinge the Joker's snarls. He hisses at Robbie to shoot him. (Though he does not use his name, and you suspect he doesn't know.) Robbie aims again, and this time the hit makes it. The bullet barely grazes Batman's head and he hits the ground. The room shakes with him.

 

“You  _ imbecile _ ! I said to shoot him not to kill him!” The Joker raises his gun and you watch as he pulls the trigger in Robbie's face.

 

Blood splatters over your shirt. You think you can see little pieces of bone. Bile rises in your throat. 

 

As you try to keep your lunch down the Batman recovers. Joker tches and grabs you by your collar. He throws you with otherworldly strength right in the path of destruction. 

 

As you come face-to-face with this man, this angry spirit of vengeance, your knees start to wobble. Gravity pulls you to the floor. Your knees crack as they hit the floor. You open your mouth, ready to beg for forgiveness. Perhaps this dark guardian will see your sincerity and let you go free. Back to your family. Back to your home.

 

Batman bends his head to look over you, the leather breathes with him as he leans into your space. You freeze. Trying to utter something. Anything.

 

“Please….” You cry, trying to keep your words straight. You don’t want to be another groveling mess. Another pathetic nobody who dies on his knees. 

 

The monster growls back.

 

You're so fucking scared. So goddamn scared you can smell it. It smells like blood and piss and…

 

No. That's you. You're the one who smells like piss. You don't dare break eye contact to look down, but you feel warmer than you did before. You've pissed yourself. Your pants are soaked.

 

Somewhere in the dark another man shouts. The Batman is distracted. He pulls a batarang from his belt and throws it at the source. For a second, and only a second, you know this is your chance.

 

The gun shakes in your hands as you point it up, up. A prayer passes your lips. Dear God help you slay this demon before it drags you to hell.

 

But you are too slow. Batman's attention is now back on you. You swear his eyes are black. They sink into his face like a void to trap your soul. He hisses, an ungodly sound like the fiery pits. He swats the gun out of your hand like you are but a fly in the wind. Then he takes your wrist and crushes it. You scream. And you scream. Everything you are is agony. 

 

You claw and you kick and you struggle in vain. You are desperate to get away. You think you are blubbering something from between your tears and your gasps for breath. Maybe you are begging for your life. maybe you're pleading that he'll make it quick.

 

Batman hears your cries for mercy. He does not care. He takes your head and slams it against the floor. You black out. Certain that this creature's face the last thing you will ever see.

 

-

 

You awake barely 10 minutes later. You hear soft giggles coming from somewhere. You open your eyes a crack. Shapes and lights are fuzzy. But eventually everything settles into place. 

 

You sit up, relieved that you still can. From your position you can see Batman and the Joker. There are cuffs on his hands. Bloody welts on his face. He was still smiling. Forever grinning.

 

The lights flash blue and red outside. And you watch as the Batman drags the beaten Joker outside to throw him down in front of the commissioner. An offering to the police.

 

You slip past the crates and the fallen men. You creep towards the back end go through the door. Your head is still spinning and your wrist throbs, but you keep going.

 

You are free to return home in your bruises and your pain. The memory of black wings against the sky and the low growl at your back, hounding your every step. 

 


End file.
